Direction indicator



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G. A. CUMMINGS DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed June 19. 1922 A TTORNE Y mwv V/ w a O T as 2 2 g Patented Get. 16, 1923..

warren STATES" was: PATENT or Fic GEORGE A. CUMMINGS, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON; ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF Ti) CHARLES H. CUMMINGS, OF*SPOKA1\TE, WASHINGTON. i i

DIRECTION INDICATOR.

Application filed June 19, 1922. Serial No. 569,203. 7

T 0 (ZZZ whomit may concern."

Be it lmown that I, Gnonen A. CUMMINGS, a citizen of the United States, residingat Sp okane, .in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Direction Indi cators, of which the following is a specification.

1 This. invention relates to improvements in direction indicators for automobiles of that class comprising a plurality of operatively connected membersadapted to be projected indicatingposition. I

It is a special feature of this invention to provide an'indicatorjof this character in into an indicating or retracted into a.non-

which one of themembers is in the form of an enclosing casing into and out of which the remaining member may be moved. In

other Words, themembers of my improved device are movable, one within the plane of the other.

A further featureco'nsists in equipping the casing member with a direction mirror whichis at all times available in its utility as amirror beoause of my improved. feature of moving one indicating member into the other.

Byreasonof the factthat one of the indicatingmembers is a'casing, I am able to not only protect the remaining member from the effects of the elements, but 1 also pro tect the movable parts constituting the operative connections betweensa-id members.

The invention has many other features of novelty which will be more fully described inoonnection with the accompanying drawing and which will be more particularly pointed claims. I i

In the drawing Fig. 1 an auto and on the left hand side thereof, and showing'the device of my invention in laterallyprojecting relation to the windshield. i i

Fig. 2 is a view looking fromthe front of the auto. i l i Fig. 3 is a view looking in the direction of Fig. 1, with the device adjusted to indicate that the driver intends to turnto the right. i

" Fig.

4, is a similar view showing the deout in and by the appended 1s a \VIGW looking from the rear of Fig. 5, isan enlarged sectional view on line 55 of Fig.4. f

Figure 6, is an enlarged sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 2. V

Fig. '7, is. a sectional view on line 7 of Fig.6. e

Like characters of reference designate similar parts, throughout the different ures of the drawing. f

I have briefly indicated the left hand wind-shield post at 1, the frame having two members designated at 2 and 3. -The member 2, of the frame, is preferably tubularand on the outer end thereofis rigidly mounted a block 4, having journalling hubs 5 and 6 and a supporting hub 7. The end 8, of member 2,is shown threaded'into hub 5. Inside of member 2, isa tubular operating shaft 9, on theinner end of'which is fixed an operating lever10. The sh'aft9, extends through hub- 6, and carries on its outer end l a bevel gear 11,. whichfis fixed thereto, as by a pin 12. .A stationary chain wheel 13,

has a stud shaft 14, which is fixedly mounted in the supporting hub 7, whereby said wheel will be securely fixedagainst rotation. R0- tatively mounted on the periphery of hub 7, is abevel gear'15,which meshes with gear 11 and fr'omfwhich latter it is operated.

I My invention includes a memberwhichl' have shown in the'form of a casing which I will generallydesignate at 16. This casinghas front andrear walls 17 and '18, re spectively. On the rear wal l*18, is a mirror 19. The rear wall is keyed or otherwise non-rotatively mounted ongear 15, as shown at 20, so that as gear'lo, is turned in opposite directions, it will tilt the casing 16.

The normal or non-indicating position is shown 1n Flg. 1', and the lndlcatin'g positions in Figs. 3 and 4. Now'it will be seen that the-casing is elongated' in form and that it is pivoted or-mounted to swing on or with gear15, about a fixedfaxiswhich is nearer the top than the bot-tom ofsaid casing- In fact, I prefer to dispose this axis at a high "point for two reasons, namely; to obtain automatic return bygravity, and to increase the extent ofprojec'tion when the device is in. an indicating adjustment, as will be presently ticularity. i

The wall 17, has a fiat and shallow cavity 21,- fo-r receiving certainchain' wheels, a flang .22, serving-as stockfor connecting described with more parthreaded to hold the walls inplace.

screws 23. The lower ends of the walls 17 and 18... are connectedbv a bolt 24. having reduced ends 25 onto which nuts 26, are This bolt forms a journal for a lower or minor chain wheel rotatively. mounted. I To this minor wheel. is fixed byrivets 28, or like means, an indicator 29, on the outer end; of which a hand is formed. Thus, I will term the wheel 27, the indicator wheel. A chain or cable 30, is-trained about wheels 13 and 27, and said chain is shown secured to, saidwheels at 31 and 32, diagrammatically. By securing the chain 30, to said wheels, I there by limit movement of the parts into predetermined extreme positions, the points of anchorage of the chain being determined with that end in view.

However, in one position, namely the retracted position, the shoulder 33, may act as an abutment for the indicator 29." The wall 18, may be secured to wall, 17, by screws 28, as previously referred to,the walls being; open at their outer edge to permit the indicator 29 to swing into and. out of the casing 16..

I will next describe the operation of my improved device. 7

Assuming that the, parts are in a non-indicating position, shown in Fig. 1, and that the driver intends to signal or indicate to a following vehicle that he will turn. to

the right, he will shiftthe lever 10,. turning wheel ,11. This will turn wheel 15 and shift the casing to the position shown in Figure 3. By reason of the fact that chain wheel 13, does not partake of this shifting movement of the casing 16, the chain or cable 30,. will impart enoughi rotary adjustmentto wheel 27 toshift the indicator 29, into the position, shown in Figure 3. If the driver wishes to signal that heis about toturn tothe left, he will. impart a further adjustment tor lever 10, than that shown in Fig- 8, and as indicatedin Fig. 4:. Thus, the indicator 29, and the casing16', are pro jected into alined relation.

Looking at either Figs. 3 or 4, it will be seen that the greater mass of the device is at the left ot a vertical lineintersecting the center of wheel 13, hence, the device will.

always seek the pendent position-shown in. Fig. 1. This is due to the fact that the axis: of swing of the device is very near the top of casing 16.

It will be seen. that my device consists of a plurality of jointed indicating members, one member being'hollow and the other member being solid the sense that it is not hollow) and that said members are movable in the same plane as the solid member moves into and out of said hollow member.

By having one, and only one member hollow, and the other: member solid, I not only save the cost of making both hollow, which is considerable, but I am able to enclose the solid member and its pivotal mounting from the efiects of the elements.

It will also beseen that the solid member 29, because of the fact that it moves into and out of member 18, can never intercept the view from the mirror 19, which would not be true if the member 29 swung past the hollow member in a parallel plane. Thus, in any adjustment, the driver has full ad'- vantage of an uninterrupted vision to and from the. mirror.

It is believed that my invention will be clear from the foregoing description, and I do not wish, to be limited. thereto except for such limitations asthe claims may import.

I claim I 1. A direction indicator mechanism. for attachment to, an automobile, comprising a frame having a. block provided. with supporting and journalling sleeves in intersecting and right angular relation, to'each, other, an indicator casing having a slot in one side thereof, a maior chain wheel; in said casing and having a studfixed' in said. supporting sleeve, a casing bevel gear rotatively mounted on the periphery of said supporting sleeve and fixed to and supporting said casing, an operating shaft rotatable in. said journallingsleeve and having a bevel gear meshing with said casing. gear, a, minor chain wheel journalled insaid casing, an indicator mounted on said; minor wheel and adapted: to be moved through said slot into, and out of said casing, andv a chain trained about said major and. minor wheels.

2. A direction indicator mechanism. for an automobile, comprising a frame. having a. block provided with ournalling and supporting, hubs, a. casing having a bevel gear fixed thereto and said gear being rotatively mounted on the periphery of said supporting hub, a stationary major chain wheel: having a stud shaft fixed in said supporting hub and said wheel being disposed in said casing, a minor chain wheel rotatively journalled in said casing,- a. chain train-ed about said chain wheels, 3/11 indicator fixed to said minor chain wheel, an actuating bevel gear meshing with sai: d .casing gear, and a shaft rotatable saidjournalling hub for rotating said actuating gear to: swing said casing and indicator into alinedl projecting relation or returning said casing to a vertical position and retracting said in;- dicator' into: said casing.

3. A direction indicator mechanism for attachment to a motor vehicle, comprising a frame, a casing rotatable on said frame and having a slot therein, a stationary chain wheel in said casing, an indicator chain wheel. rotatably mounted in: said casing, a chain trained about said wheel's, an indicator fixed to said indicator wheel movable through said slot, whereby when said casing is swung into an indicating position said indicator will be projected out of said casing or when said casing is returned to a non-indicating position saidindicator will be retracted into said casing.

4. A direction indicator mechanism for attachment to a motor vehicle, comprising in combination, a support, an indicator casing pivoted on said support to be swung into and out of an indicating position and having a direction mirror on its rear face, an

indicator pivotally mounted in said casing,

tersecting range of said mirror.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing a as my own, I hereby afiix my signature.

' GEORGE A. CUMMINGS. 

